Random Thoughts during Senior step aerobics

• The class was full this Monday. Is it everybody making up for an unhealthy weekend?
• When the class is that full, you have to be careful that you don't run into anyone.  A fall at our age can be disastrous.....or funny
• Does there really have to be two walls of mirrors in this room?
• Good music makes the routine go much faster. My favorites today were: Charlie Brown, Last Kiss and ......I can't remember the name of the last song but it had a great beat!
• In every class I take, there are people who resemble people I know. Today I imagined I saw Bonnie Placek, Janeen Norland, my sister in law, Betty Anderson and Emily Doughty....oh wait, that really was Emily Doughty, someone I worked with at Good Sam.
• Gray is not my color.
• Almost everyone wears black pants.
• There are over and under-achievers in any group. On any given day I can be either. 
• I can focus on the fact that I am overweight (especially while looking in that mirrored wall) or focus on the fact that I am pretty awesome to be doing this twice a week for 7 weeks....plus my other classes!
• I win the prize for cutest, sparkliest shoes. I will have to figure out how to get pictures on here so you can see them too. 
• I exercise for the endorphins. Love that good feeling that stays with me most of the day!

There are no rules.

Rules and laws have certainly changed in my lifetime. There were unwritten rules about what women could and couldn't do when I was growing up. I remember asking my older sisters if I could be a Pastor and they said no that I couldn't. Despite the fact that becoming a woman Pastor was not available to me in 1969 when I started college, it is interesting to know that my career  was spent "ministering" to others. The recent movie "Hidden Figures" sure pointed out the rules in the 1950's and made me appreciate the progress made because the rules changed.

There's a rule on a sign at the side of the pool at Family Wellness that says "No games or swimming where you hold your breath for extended periods of time under water". I imagine that a lifeguard or two came up with that rule after being scared that someone was drownding.

I love to swim. So much so that it doesn't bother me to get in a swimsuit. There are both men and women at the Senior aquacize class that I attend. We are of all shapes and sizes but once we get in the water, you can't really see our differences. The biggest things we have in common are that we enjoy water and we want to be more fit. That over-rides an un-written rule that says people of a certain age or shape shouldn't be in a swimsuit. There are no rules!

One thing I tried to teach my kids is that the things that we are so obsessed about are often not even noticed by others. People have so much of their own insecurities to deal with that they don't notice your insecurities.  On top of that, confident (not arrogant) people project a different image despite their shape or size or haircut or clothes.   Have you ever known someone who actually glowed with confidence and joy?

 I still experience insecurities but I am much more confident in this body of mine. I love feeling strong and healthy and I truly don't care what others think when I wear a swimsuit or my other workout gear. If they don't like it, too bad because I do and that's all that counts in that situation.

Robin Williams said: "There are no rules. Follow your heart."

Nevertheless She Persisted

Life got in the way of the focus on healthy eating and exercise this fall. First of all we took a wonderful 19 day Fall foliage and historic bus tour to the East coast. Our days were long and packed and so I avoided the exercise rooms at the various hotels we stayed at. In addition the lure of fast food and sometimes fancy food was strong. Early on, I decided that since this was a trip of a lifetime , I wasn't going to worry about what I ate or whether I  exercised but was just going to go with the flow and enjoy each moment. There were a few days when we walked and walked and walked. When we got back from the bus tour in early October, I stayed in Fargo while Arden went back to Van Hook.

We had beautiful weather in November and I was able to walk on the beautiful walking paths in Fargo. I found a new physician for my annual physical in early December and as a friend once told me "I look good on paper!" My BP, cholesterol and blood sugar are all good. He asked if I wanted to talk to a nutritionist about my weight and I declined. I told him that I know what is healthy, it's just getting the message from my head to my mouth that's hard. I also told him I had a plan for weight loss. Anyway, he said he would see me in a year and hoped to see me lose 45-50 pounds in that year.

Shortly after my physical, my asthma and allergies kicked in so I spent several weeks coughing and hacking and inhaling and nebulizing so didn't focus on healthy eating and exercising then. I have several times a year where I hit re-start...in January, in April (my birthday), July (halfway point of the year) and September when school starts. So in January I joined Weight Watchers and joined several group exercise routines at the Fargo Family Wellness center which is close to our Fargo house. I am stronger than I've ever been and love the Aquacize classes and Senior Spin classes as well as the low impact aerobics set to 50's and 60's music. I am on the right path.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” by Calvin Coolidge